Sen. Andy Gardiner said today that he is still in the race for Senate president in 2014, despite emerging rumors that Sens. John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine, and Joe Negron, R-Stuart,are trying to push him aside.

Throughout the day, Thrasher and Negron have been meeting with senators attempting to get them to drop their support of Gardiner and back a two-year deal that would give Thrasher the Senate presidency in 2014 and Negron the job in 2016. But, according to two senators, they have run into resistance from loyalists to Gardiner.

The result is Gardiner's would-be opponent, Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, is now in a position to broker their own two-year a compromise that would allow Gardiner to become Senate president in 2014 and Latvala in 2016. Stay tuned.